Mother: Lodi man acted in self defense outside AT&T Park

LODI - The man accused of fatally stabbing a Los Angeles Dodgers fan near AT&T Park after Wednesday night's Giants game is an aspiring musician but not much of a sports fan, according to his mother.

Keith Reid

LODI - The man accused of fatally stabbing a Los Angeles Dodgers fan near AT&T Park after Wednesday night's Giants game is an aspiring musician but not much of a sports fan, according to his mother.

Victoria Montgomery said her son Michael Montgomery, 21, is "freaked out and torn up" over an altercation that resulted in the death of Jonathan Denver, 24.

Late Friday, San Francisco's district attorney said he's not yet ready to file charges against Montgomery.

District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement that not all witnesses have been questioned, and no independent witnesses have been interviewed in the stabbing death of Denver.

Gascon said he has asked police to gather more evidence before his office decides whether to file charges against Montgomery, who police said made "incriminating statements" after his arrest.

The district attorney did not say whether, or when, Montgomery would be released from custody. Police and prosecutors did not immediately reply to messages left late Friday.

Denver was leaving the Giants-Dodgers game with his father, brother and two other people Wednesday night, and became engaged in an altercation with Michael Montgomery and a group of his friends who were leaving a nightclub, according to police.

Victoria Montgomery said her son acted in self defense, after being hit with a chair during the fight. She said her son was terrified to see Denver dying in his father's arms.

"He's always been a good kid. He just turned 21 in August. I know he didn't want to kill anybody," Victoria Montgomery said about her son, a Lodi Adult School graduate.

"He's just always wanted to be a musician, not like a traditional musician like playing guitar. He liked beats, electronic music," she added, confirming that her son wanted to be a club disc jockey. "He was talking about going back to college before this happened."

Police and media reports have characterized the stabbing as the result of a Giants-Dodgers rivalry fight. Tensions have been high between fans of the two teams in recent years, including a fight at Dodger Stadium in 2011 when Giants fan Brian Stow was beaten into a coma and suffered brain damage at the hands of Dodger fans leaving the game.http://sredit.ot.atl.publicus.com/apps/pbcsedit.dll/red

Police said the fight occurred at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, 90 minutes after the baseball game ended. Denver and his family were leaving a bar when they saw Montgomery's group. Police said one of the people in Montgomery's group was wearing a Giants hat.

Victoria Montgomery said her son liked sports "but he wasn't that into it" to where he bought team gear or regularly attended games.

"It wasn't his hat," Victoria Montgomery said. "If he was wearing it, I think he was borrowing the hat because he likes to wear hats."

Victoria Montgomery said she didn't know if her son normally carried a knife, or how he came to be the one that stabbed Denver. He has admitted to family members that he was responsible, she said.

"This is just something that's really hard to handle," she said. "It's like a bizarre dream. I know Michael didn't want this to happen, and we are all torn up inside for the other family. It just breaks my heart."